DEMAIO, FLETCHER THROWING ELBOWS

Verbal sparring increases as mayoral race ramps up

San Diego 
The growing rift between City Councilman Carl DeMaio and Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher as they run for San Diego mayor has become the dominant dynamic of what has been a fairly respectful competition thus far.

The two Republicans have repeatedly sparred in public forums, a trend that continued Monday night during a debate hosted by the San Diego Young Republicans.

DeMaio began his opening remarks with what appeared to be a pointed criticism of Fletcher, who has branded himself as the best candidate to help San Diego turn the page on the past decade of financial woes. DeMaio said he didn’t wait for a mayoral campaign to push for change at City Hall and helped craft a pension reform initiative headed for the June ballot.

“You can’t solve problems on a slogan and a smile,” DeMaio said. “You need specifics. We’ve been burned in the past by politicians who offered great rhetoric, soaring rhetoric, but they were light on details.”

Fletcher criticized DeMaio for his frequent contention that Fletcher is in the pocket of labor because police officers and lifeguards — two of the city’s six employee groups — have endorsed him.

“Carl, you say you can’t take support (from labor) because you’d be beholden to somebody, but you are the king of special interest money,” Fletcher said. “You’ve taken more money from lobbyists and City Hall insiders and developers than anyone on this stage, and so you will as mayor negotiate with those folks.”

The debate, held at the Randy Jones All-American Sports Grill in Mission Valley, also included District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, also a Republican. She stuck closely to her campaign script, focusing on her executive experience running the District Attorney’s Office and her law-enforcement credentials.

Dumanis said her opponents lacked the proper experience to be mayor. She also noted she has been in public service longer than DeMaio and Fletcher have been alive, and she won’t use the position as a steppingstone to higher office.

“I’m doing this because I love San Diego, not because I want another job, not because I want to be a governor or president of the United States,” Dumanis said. “This will be my last elected job.”

The fourth major candidate for mayor is Rep. Bob Filner, a Democrat who didn’t attend the Republican-only event. Filner has garnered the most labor support, including the city’s largest employee union.

Fletcher levied several barbs toward DeMaio during the debate, but the most notable exchange was over financial support in the race. Fletcher repeatedly asked DeMaio to tell the audience about his dealings with his backers in the business community.

“My question is: Have you ever met behind closed doors with any of those lobbyists, developers or City Hall insiders that have given you money and discussed city business?” Fletcher said.

DeMaio sidestepped the question by noting that the mayor’s negotiations with labor unions are far different from those with developers, which is why the public should be concerned about candidates with labor ties.

“When you negotiate with labor unions, it’s the only process that occurs behind closed doors,” he said. “The mayor and council go behind closed doors with the labor union bosses and you, the taxpayer, don’t know the deal until after it is too late.”

Fletcher, a former Marine who served in Iraq, said DeMaio’s refusal to answer the question showed the “straight-talk express got stuck in a pothole.” He also noted he won’t have any problems standing up to labor as mayor.

DeMaio said Fletcher’s campaign has resorted to a new low when it issued a news release last week calling DeMaio a hypocrite for accepting endorsements from three major building industry groups.

The Republican candidates struck a more cordial tone Tuesday during a midday forum held by the La Jolla Republican Women Federated. They hit many of the same talking points they’ve used throughout the campaign and avoided criticism of each other. Fletcher even praised DeMaio for spearheading the pension initiative.

The mayoral primary to replace Mayor Jerry Sanders, who is termed out, is June 5.

If no one wins a majority, the top two finishers compete in a November runoff.